Do you feel “stressed out all the time?” I’m not talking about the kind of stress that comes from the uncertainty and discomfort of pushing your current boundaries required for personal growth. I’m talking about the stress that is baked into every single day… like someone else’s behavior, the weather, the market, the results, etc. The thing these all have in common is that you cannot control them. At best, you may have some influence on them, but you definitely cannot control them. Since what we focus on affects how we feel in that moment, when we consistently focus on things we cannot do anything about, we feel stress. Some stress is not a bad thing. In fact, it is required for personal growth. However, chronic stress day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year creates some significant problems. High achievers make the choice to direct their focus on what they can control rather than fret or worry about what they cannot. When you focus on what you can control (your thoughts, decisions, actions, and effort), you focus your efforts on things you can actually change and if you back up your focus with action, then you actually make changes which creates somewhat of a feeling of control and certainty in your life. When you do this consistently, it helps increase your self-confidence because you start to believe that regardless of what happens to you, you will be able to handle it. This will also help you from feeling “stressed out” all the time with unnecessary stress (things you can do nothing about) so you have the energy and the focus to handle the stress that comes from running to the edge of your capabilities to expand your capacity and to grow. Today, take inventory of all the stressors that pop up and start the practice of choosing to only allow yourself to focus on the ones you have the ability to influence.
